SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR
4/11/2012 8:54:16 AM
My Worship Time Focus: Someday Jesus Will Reign over all the Earth
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Psalm 72:8-19
Message of the verses: In today’s SD we will continue to look at Psalm 72 and begin with verse 8.
A Universal Dominion (vv. 8-11): “8 May he also rule from sea to sea And from the River to the ends of the earth. 9 Let the nomads of the desert bow before him, And his enemies lick the dust. 10 Let the kings of Tarshish and of the islands bring presents; The kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts. 11 And let all kings bow down before him, All nations serve him.”
In the book of Genesis chapter fifteen and verse 18 God said these words to Abraham: “On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your descendants I have given this land, From the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates.” However in Psalm 2:8 God gave this promise to His Son: “’Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession.” David and Solomon ruled over a great kingdom, but Jesus Christ will rule “from sea to sea” as verse eight of this psalm says. “There can be no peace on earth until the Prince of Peace is reigning, and the nations have submitted to Him.”
A Compassionate Reign (vv. 12-14): “12 For he will deliver the needy when he cries for help, The afflicted also, and him who has no helper. 13 He will have compassion on the poor and needy, And the lives of the needy he will save. 14 He will rescue their life from oppression and violence, And their blood will be precious in his sight.”
We know from history that Solomon did not fulfill what these verses speak about as far as have the great compassion on the people that is prescribed here. We also know that Jesus Christ did have great compassion on the children of Israel and even on the Gentiles that He dealt with. Verse 14 uses the word “rescue” and this word has to do with the “kinsman redeemer” which was illustrated by Boaz in the book of Ruth. Verse 14 also speaks of “blood” and this refers to a person’s life, and Jesus Christ shed His blood on the cross so that all those who believe in Him can have eternal life.
I have been studying the book of Mark this year a chapter a month and in it I see the great compassion that Jesus has for those He deals with as He heals all the people who come to Him from their diseases and also of those who can’t see or hear or speak. Jesus surely was full of compassion even to those who did not believe in Him during His visit to planet earth.
A Prosperous Nation (vv. 15-17): “15 So may he live, and may the gold of Sheba be given to him; And let them pray for him continually; Let them bless him all day long. 16 May there be abundance of grain in the earth on top of the mountains; Its fruit will wave like the cedars of Lebanon; And may those from the city flourish like vegetation of the earth. 17 May his name endure forever; May his name increase as long as the sun shines; And let men bless themselves by him; Let all nations call him blessed.”
God promised Israel prosperity if they only followed His Law and He also promised that the Messiah would come through the Davidic line, which it did when Jesus Christ was born. While Solomon was king over Israel the kingdom was rich and they did receive gold from other countries and God did bless them all day long. But in the end Solomon would break most all of the laws that God had set up for the king to follow and when he died the kingdom became divided.
The prophets of the Bible speak of a kingdom to come where all of the things in these verses will be filled and the NT book of Revelations says that that kingdom will last for 1000 years and King Jesus will reign over all the earth from Jerusalem.
Dr. Wiersbe writes these words at the end of his commentary on Psalm 72: “The closing benediction (vv. 18-19) is not a part of the psalm proper but forms the conclusion to Book 2 of the book of Psalms (see 41:13; 89:52; 106:48). A fitting conclusion it is, for it focuses on the glory of the Lord. Solomon’s kingdom had its share of glory, but the glory did not last. When Jesus reigns on earth, the glory of God will be revealed as never before (Num. 14:21; Isa. 6:3; 11:9; 40:5; Hab. 2:14).
“Isaac Watts used Psalm 72 as the basis for his great hymn, ‘Jesus Shall Reign.’ Read it—or sing it—and never stop praying ‘Ty kingdom come!’”
1. Jesus shall reign where'er the sun
Does His successive journeys run;
His kingdom spread from shore to shore,
Till moons shall wax and wane no more.
2. To Him shall endless prayer be made,
And endless praises crown His head;
His name like sweet perfume shall rise
With ev'ry morning sacrifice.
3. People and realms of ev'ry tongue
Dwell on His love with sweetest song;
And infant voices shall proclaim
Their early blessings on His name.
4. Let ev'ry creature rise and bring
His grateful honors to our King;
Angels descend with songs again,
And earth repeat the loud "Amen!"
Spiritual meaning for my life today: Compassion is something that I believe the Holy Spirit is speaking to me about from this psalm. As I watch when my wife cares for my sick mother I see compassion in her as I do when my two sisters care for her. I see several of the nurses with the gift of compassion as they care for my sick mother. They surely do things that I do not feel comfortable doing but I try and help as best I can feeling a bit guilty. Compassion is a gift from God to certain people, but all people should have compassion on their fellow man. My prayer is that compassion will grow in my heart.
My Steps of Faith for Today: I pray that the Holy Spirit of God will cause me to have greater compassion for others. I pray that I will continue to learn contentment. I still have a long way to go.
4/11/2012 9:36:33 AM
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